


The Holidays

by Generichippo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23344576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Generichippo/pseuds/Generichippo
Summary: All an orphan knows about holidays is that they're supposed to be celebrated with family. Naruto Uzumaki has never had that. But sometimes there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and sometimes that light is a big empty house and a classmate who never smiles.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 147





	The Holidays

Naruto sat with his arms around his knees staring out his window at the streets below. Christmas lights twinkled as carollers and families walked away from the bad side of town for the night.

"Naruto!" The blond boy jumped and then clambered off his bed and down the stairs. He had the attic room at the orphanage, mostly so the other kids didn't smother him in his sleep.

"I'm here, madame." He said, panting slightly since he sprinted to the kitchen where the orphanage mother stood. The other kids hissed at him, muttering curses and threats under their breath. Naruto didn't mind them much; the boys before had been much worse and they followed through on their threats. Naruto was the oldest boy since his tormentors were adopted one by one, all of them making sure to give the blond boy a permanent scar on his body before leaving for good.

"It looks like there's not enough food for you." The orphanage mother said with a wicked grin. The other children giggled.

Naruto turned to look at the feast laid out on the counter and his stomach growled.

The woman's eyes narrowed, "Getting greedy, are you?" She backhanded him hard, "Go to your room!"

Naruto turned and ran without another word. He was seven.

At the age of ten Naruto was offered his own apartment by a kind priest. It was donated by the man who used to live there and the church had no use for a crappy apartment in the seediest district of the city. The buildings owner was not happy and charged a rent to show for it but even so, for Naruto, it was the first place he felt safe. It was only two rooms, a bathroom and then the main room consisting of a mattress he dragged in from the side of the road and a table that had three and a half legs. The window was by far the best part of the room and Naruto would sit for hours and just watch the lives of his neighbours down below.

School had always been difficult for Naruto. Like at the orphanage the other kids just copied the adults and there wasn't an adult in the city that didn't hate Naruto Uzumaki. His father was the chief of police and his mother was a prison guard, before Naruto was born they built rehabilitation programs for thugs and cleaned up the streets easily enough. But when Naruto was two his parents disappeared without a trace. The next day riots broke out on the streets as a rebel group attempted to overthrow the government. They were stopped eventually but many people died or their houses burned. Since Naruto's parents were gone, he received the hatred on their behalf.

He played alone at school. He tried to draw attention to himself with pranks and jokes but he always ended up by himself. People would laugh at the demon, but they would never stay with him.

Everyday he would play for as long as possible in the school yard after school. He was always the last to leave.

Sasuke Uchiha was a quiet genius in his class. The girls loved him and he had people begging to be his friend. The raven haired boy couldn't care less about that, but he sure did love his brother.

Itachi Uchiha was always late when picking up his brother and he parked a few blocks away so they had to walk to the car. Naruto trailed ten feet behind them whenever he picked Sasuke up and watched glumly as Itachi asked about his brothers day.

On one of the days when Itachi picked up his brother from school he missed hearing his brothers answer as to how many valentines he had received because of someone rattling the chain link fence next to them. Itachi glanced over his shoulder to check the ruckus and glared at the sight before him.

The blond boy everyone knew was the Uzumaki heir was surrounded. He was thin and short for a ten year old. Yolk dripped down his hair from where someone had smashed an egg on his head and he doubled over when one of the larger boys socked him in the gut.

Itachi turned to Sasuke, "Stay here." He ordered. He marched to Naruto's attackers and cleared his throat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked in a deep voice. His death glare was legendary, even as a teenager and the other kids scattered, throwing the contents of Naruto's backpack into a puddle as they fled.

The blond boy eyed his saviour warily, not moving from his spot against the fence.

"Are you hurt?" Itachi questioned.

The boy didn't answer but slowly inched to the side. He gave the black haired teenager a wide girth as he snatched his backpack out of the puddle, cursing the rain from last night, and carefully put all of the items that had been scattered on the road back in his bag. Sasuke watched with wide eyes at how carefully Naruto retrieved each of the colourful folded pieces of paper from the dirty water and put them into his backpack. Sasuke knew they were the valentines that everyone in the class gave out, most of them muttered mean comments or threw the cards at Naruto when they reached his desk. He didn't think the class clown would treasure the fake words as much as he clearly did. Sasuke snorted, what an idiot he thought.

When Naruto had gathered up the rest of his soaked belongings he stood and put on the drenched bag.

He and Itachi eyed each other. Naruto looked away first, "Thanks." He muttered quickly, his eyes flashed to Sasuke before he bolted past them both, yolk dripping onto the ground in his wake.

"That idiot actually cares about the stupid valentines we had to give everyone." Sasuke commented as they began to walk again.

Itachi ruffled his brothers hair, "Hn." He didn't think his brother would understand if Itachi explained that those were probably the only kind words Naruto ever received from his peers.

Two years later everything changed. Eyes that used to look out at the world with contented arrogance changed to a cold, angry glare. His admirers only grew after that, the ice prince becoming even colder was big news for about two hours.

Sasuke didn't say much. His parents and the rest of his clan were being held in a black out country while under investigation. They weren't allowed back into the country or any contact other than the letter that Sasuke had already memorized. He was alone.

On the first night he got the news he sat alone on the dock and stared at his reflection. His heart ached. He glanced out at the lake as the early evening light began to wane and he felt so cold. Soft footsteps echoing from the road made him turn, just to make sure it wasn't a ghost laughing at his solitary presence.

He glared as Naruto walked by far above. He glanced at Sasuke and stuck his tongue out before continuing on. Sasuke turned back to face the lake and listened as Naruto's footsteps faded to nothing. He felt just a little less alone.

It was a few months later and Sasuke pulled his coat closer to himself and shivered against the wind. For Christmas his parents old friends had allowed him to stay with them but now as new years drew closer Sasuke found himself walking the streets alone and glaring at any revellers he passed.

The sound of breaking glass made him turn sharply to see a boy in an alley covering his head and face as more bottles rained down from the windows. Sasuke froze as the figure glanced up and blue eyes widened in shock. Blood dripped down a tan cheek as a piece of glass reflected off the pavement. The blond ducked his head again and turned down the street in the opposite direction of the stunned Uchiha.

The blond cursed as he heard footsteps behind him. Naruto wiped the blood dripping down his cheek and upped his speed to a trot, turning down a narrow street and hoping that he got lucky and they weren't after him.

He turned back to face the opening of the street and eyed the breathless Uchiha who appeared around the corner warily, this could go two ways, either Sasuke would start yelling or he would leave Naruto alone.

Sasuke stared at his bleeding classmate and wondered what the hell he was doing. Naruto seemed to be wondering the same thing if the expression on his face was anything to go by.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked eventually. He was an Uchiha, and Uchiha's were not awkward.

"Fine. Thanks." Naruto held his ratty hoody sleeve against the cut on his cheek as he spoke and could feel blood saturating the fabric.

"Why are you here?" The blond couldn't stop himself from asking, it had been years since any of his classmates initiated a conversation with him themselves.

Sasuke bristled, "I was walking. What about you?"

"Same." Naruto glanced at the other end of the road as the sound of drunken singing carried over to them, "You should go." He told Sasuke as chants of 'Blood for Blood' started up.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered before grabbing Naruto's arm and sprinting in the other direction.

"Wah! Asshole!" Naruto panted as Sasuke dragged him across the city. He waved down a car at the pub that acted as the border between the bad side and the good side of town. Sasuke had just wanted to go where no one would know him, the last thing he expected to find was Naruto.

Naruto eyed the black vehicle warily as Sasuke tugged him into the car. He sat rigidly and watched the driver to see what he would do when he noticed Naruto.

"Take us home, Suigetsu." Sasuke ordered.

The Uchiha driver who had a soft spot for the lonely boy, grinned at Naruto's stiff posture, "Making friends with demons are you, sir?"

Sasuke scoffed, "Shut up and drive."

Suigetsu's eyes widened when Naruto shifted and the blood caked on his cheek was revealed. He stopped himself from cracking a joke about Sasuke needing a new years kiss when he noticed that neither boy looked at the other for the entire drive.

Suigetsu parked and then turned to grin at the boys, "Happy New Year, Sir."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded at the driver. He was hired just before the incident. Then Sasuke got out of he car, Naruto silently trailing after him.

The blond gaped at the mansion before him. He couldn't remember ever being on this side of town.

Sasuke said nothing as he unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. He took off his shoes and glared until Naruto followed suit.

The blond whistled as he gawked at the giant rooms and impressive furniture. He looked up pictures of where his parents lived when they were around and he's almost certain it was nowhere near as nice as this.

"Come here, idiot, you're going to bleed on the carpet."

Naruto dutifully followed Sasuke into a state of the art kitchen and eyed the fancy stool at the counter, debating whether or not he was worthy to sit on the pristine leather.

The black haired boy was surprised that Naruto was relatively quiet. He never shut up at school. He tossed him a wet cloth and a pack of bandaids he got from the bathroom. The sight of how casual Naruto was about wiping blood off himself and bandaging the wounds caused by the glass made Sasuke uncomfortable.

Naruto finished the first aid on his face with his trademark grin. The smile made Sasuke realize that it was the first time he'd seen the infernal grin all night when it never left during school.

Naruto turned away from the scowl on his classmates face and had to do a double take when he saw the time, 12:04.

"Happy New Year, bastard." He told Sasuke with a grin. Naruto looked at his bandaid covered hands. He couldn't remember the last time he entered the new year with someone else. Even at the orphanage he was usually hiding from drunk adults trying to beat him or children wanting to make his life miserable.

"Happy New Year, idiot." Sasuke grunted in reply. If he wasn't so obsessed with never being caught off guard, Sasuke would have jumped when Naruto suddenly leaped from his stool and started digging through the cupboards.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm hungry." Naruto replied. He hopped up on the counter and took whatever he wanted out of the cupboards and pantries, Sasuke was too shocked to even yell at him for making a mess.

Naruto paused as he studied the fancy ass stove and then shrugged and hit the buttons that made the most sense. When nothing beeped angrily he hummed and continued on with his mission.

Once Sasuke realized that the blond at least had the semblance of knowing what he was doing he took a seat and watched. Naruto was in love with Sasuke's kitchen, the boy had everything. He felt like squealing when he found the stainless steel bowls, Naruto had to make do with chipped plastic ones he found at Value Village. It took him fifteen minutes to finish the preparations and then he put the pan into the oven and set a timer. He sighed contentedly and took a deep breath before cleaning everything he took out. Other than the sound of him clanking dishes together and the clock, the house was silent. Neither boy spoke as Naruto finished up drying and then put everything away in generally the right areas.

He turned to face Sasuke, "Those will be done in ten minutes, take them out and then let them cool for a bit." He glanced at his bandaged hands, "Thanks for tonight. It..." Naruto trailed off and then just shrugged and grinned before heading to the door.

"Why are you leaving?" Sasuke asked.

The blond glanced at him as he tugged on his shoes, "I should get back to my place. There's a lot of work to do."

"And how are you getting back, dumb ass?"

"By walking, moron."

Sasuke crossed his arms, "Where do you live?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out, "What's it to you?"

That stumped the stoic boy. Why did he care that Naruto was leaving? Honestly, he should be happy the energetic guy was getting out of his way.

Naruto grinned triumphantly, "See you." He was out the door and down the driveway before Sasuke could think of a reason for him to stay. The black haired boy leaned his forehead against the door as he locked it, "You didn't eat any of the cookies." He whispered to an empty house.

The baked treats were delicious.

When school began again after winter break neither Sasuke or Naruto acknowledged each other. Sasuke remained the cold prodigy and Naruto stayed as the class clown. Sasuke found his eyes drawn more and more to the blond boy. He noticed that despite the volume of Naruto's voice he was more often alone than not and most of the attention he received was negative.

Sasuke found that he would get his hopes up whenever Naruto approached their classmates and feel disappointment when all he met was ridicule and laughter. But the blond boy never gave up, every day he continued to approach people. Sasuke wondered how he did it.

When Valentines day rolled around again the usual blushing and havoc ensued. Sasuke dealt with his female admirers and shoved all of their gifts into a bag brought specifically for that purpose.

After school Sasuke hid in the bathroom until all of his classmates who may attempt to confess their love or ask him out dispersed. He was going to head to where Suigetsu was waiting for him in the parking-lot but then he spotted a familiar blond head laying in the field.

Naruto blinked as a head blocked the sun he was squinting at, "What are you doing?" His heart thumped strangely at the sight of Sasuke's styled hair surrounded by a halo of sunlight.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Follow me." He turned and walked away and Naruto followed him after slowly getting up. The guys who caught him after school were rougher than usual, probably due to their lack of love lives which Naruto was more than happy to point out.

Suigetsu grinned at the blond when he climbed into the back with Sasuke, "You got in one good hit before you got your ass handed to you."

Naruto grinned as was his nature, "Bite me, driver man."

"I'm Suigetsu, what is your name, demon boy?"

Naruto's smile didn't dim but Sasuke could almost have sworn his eyes did, "Naruto."

Sasuke shrugged it off as Naruto and Suigetsu started yelling at each other over their taste in music (neither of which Sasuke agreed with) until they reached the Uchiha mansion.

The two boys went to the t.v. room this time and Naruto would not shut up about the games Sasuke had. The other boy had rolled his eyes and mentioned in passing that they were mostly his brothers. Naruto didn't pause in his blathering or send Sasuke a pitying look. He took the words as they were and Sasuke appreciated it far more than Naruto would ever know.

They played late into the evening and ordered pizza which Sasuke paid for without even asking Naruto to chip in. As they ate they did homework and Sasuke was surprised by the blond idiot not actually being an idiot. Naruto had a strange way of thinking through problems, it wasn't efficient, but it wasn't dumb either.

When their homework was done Sasuke found himself easily listening to Naruto's chatter. They (Naruto) spoke about classes, teachers, sports, their favourite places around the city, Sasuke would offer one word answers if Naruto asked for his opinion. It was... fun. It had been a long time since either boy had spent a long time with someone their own age and they were both a little disappointed when Naruto had to go.

"You called, sir?" Suigetsu arched an eyebrow, swinging his keys around his finger.

"Drive Naruto home."

Blue eyes widened in poorly concealed panic, "No, no, I can walk it's-"

"Got it, boss." Suigetsu cut off the rambling blond. He sauntered over to the car and opened the back door.

Naruto bit his lip, "Thanks Sasuke." He turned to go and then glanced over his shoulder, "Itsfunspendingtheholidayswithyou."

Sasuke couldn't respond as Naruto practically ran to Suigetsu. They were arguing quietly and then Suigetsu snatched Naruto's bag and hopped in the car, successfully ending the debate. Naruto waved shyly at Sasuke and then climbed into the car.

"So where are we going Naruto?" Suigetsu asked. The boy in the backseat scratched the back of his head.

"You can drop me at The Roof." Naruto said, naming the pub on the border of the worst area of the city.

Suigetsu made a face, "I doubt the brat would be happy with that."

Naruto grinned, "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

The driver tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, "In that thinking, I'll tell him I dropped you at The Roof if you let me drop you home."

Naruto furrowed his brow, "That ruins both points."

"You've got me curious about the dive you're living at and I promise I won't tell Sasuke where the shit hole is."

Naruto wasn't one for trust, "No thanks, The Roof works for me."

"Look kid, either I see your place or we drive around all night, it's up to you."

Naruto swore softly, "Fine whatever asshole, just don't tell Sasuke."

"You have my word."

Suigetsu whistled as he finished pulling into the worst neighbourhood they'd seen by far. Glass littered the street, prostitutes and suspicious people walked in and out of smoke filled buildings. Music was blasting from a car down the street and angry voices were a constant din from the houses around the complex Naruto directed Suigetsu to stop in. It was the kind of neighbourhood where you didn't park a car for longer than two minutes if you expected it to be there when you returned or with any unslashed tires.

"Thanks for the ride." Naruto tugged on the door and found that Suigetsu hadn't unlocked it yet.

"Seriously kid? Weren't your parents big money or something?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't remember. I can't get anything until I turn eighteen."

"Who do you live with?"

The blonds eyes shifted tellingly, "My guardian."

Suigetsu was feeling worse and worse about his promise to not tell the little Uchiha about his friends house. Suigetsu was by no means a responsible guy but even he didn't feel good leaving a twelve year old alone here. People were starting to notice the extremely nice car and lack of drugs and Naruto was no fool.

"If you plan on getting out of here, you should go."

Suigetsu sighed and then grabbed his card from the holder in the front seat, "If you ever need a way out."

Naruto took the card and then beamed at Suigetsu which only made the driver feel worse, "Thank you." He climbed out of the car as soon as Suigetsu clicked the button and the driver heard the beginning of an insult as the people around realized who was in the car.

Suigetsu drove off and couldn't help but wonder how the hell Sasuke had gotten himself mixed up with such an unlucky kid.

After that night Naruto became a more permanent addition to the Uchiha mansion. He and Sasuke often hung out after school and whenever a holiday rolled around they were more than happy to spend the day with each other. After a year, he and Sasuke were best friends, but no one at school knew a thing.

Suigetsu eyed his friend, he was the Uchiha gardener. His orange head was at least six foot seven and his shoulders were hulking, "Come pick the little dude up with me, Juugo."

The carrot top took another puff of his cigarette and then walked towards the car. Suigetsu grinned.

They parked in the silver haired mans usual spot and he pointed at the school, "You are my good deed of the day." He told Juugo.

"How?"

"Just look for blond hair and you'll get it."

They didn't have to wait long. Naruto had study hall last period and the teacher always let them go early. He might as well have painted a target on Narutos back.

He got to the field before a yank on his bag sent him tumbling to the ground. A sharp kick to his side made him gasp for breath and Naruto knew that today wasn't going to be a good day. He figured they were probably mad from when he butted in when they were teasing Choji about his weight. Naruto liked the big guy and it was easy to cause a ruckus and steal their attention.

He got to his feet and grinned slightly, "We really doing this again? Aren't you bored? Wouldn't a fair fight be more-" A shot to his side from behind forced Naruto to stumble forward towards another shot to the gut he knew was coming. He bumped into something hard but it definitely wasn't a fist.

"Who the fuck are you?" One of the little thugs asked.

Juugo made a grunting noise, grabbed Naruto's shoulder and escorted him away from the kids and straight to Suigetsus car.

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself." He huffed immediatly.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes, "I watch your sorry ass get kicked every day, don't play tough with me."

"This won't help anything." Naruto pointed out before muttering under his breath, "It's not as if it's a fair fight anyway."

The two older men said nothing to either comment. Both knew it was true, but neither really felt like admitting it.

Sasuke didn't see Naruto in the field where he usually waited and he definitely didn't pout about it on the way to the car.

"Where's- nevermind." Sasuke didn't comment about his gardeners presence. He wasn't a genius for nothing.

They had a normal afternoon. They did homework and then Naruto cooked dinner. They found that Sasuke was more likely to order in and Naruto was more than happy to feed him home cooked meals again. Cooking for one always made Naruto feel more alone.

After dinner they lounged around in Sasuke's room, Naruto on the bed and Sasuke at his desk. It didn't slip the raven haired boys attention that Naruto had a habit of standing up for those that didn't stand up for themselves. He knew that he had a small group of people that he would always take the beating for, including Chogi, the unbelievably shy Hinata, even some of the girls who hissed deep cutting insults at him he would protect if he thought they were getting out of hand, Kiba was another one, the boy was dumb and loved animals and Naruto didn't like when people made fun of him for it.

"Why do you do it?" Sasuke muttered, mostly to himself.

Naruto put down Sasuke's ipod where he was making a new playlist, "Do what?"

Uchihas didn't start things they couldn't finish, "Why do you protect the assholes in our class?"

Blue eyes flicked to the ceiling and Naruto tapped his fingers on the bed covers, "Well why not?"

Sasuke snorted, "Because they won't protect you, why would you help them?"

"I..." Naruto closed his eyes. He was used to beatings. He'd been getting beat up on a regular basis for nearly his entire life. He still hungered for attention and love but he wasn't an idiot. He knew better than most what it meant to face the darker side of humanity,

"I don't like to see it." He admitted, "If I can do something about it, I will." He turned to Sasuke and knew that the black haired boy was thinking he was being idiotic.

Naruto sat up, his usual laid back expression had been replaced with one of solemn contemplation, "It's like, I watched these people grow up, right? I wasn't their friend or anything, but there was probably no one who wanted to know more about them than me. Sure they hated me, or hate me, but I know that Hinata's parents are assholes to her and Neji, I know that Choji is insecure about his weight, I know that Sakura and Ino take things too far, and I know that Kiba's a good guy, why should they go through what I-" Naruto shook his head, "Why shouldn't they be protected?"

Sasuke's dark eyes seemed to glitter as he stared at the blond sitting crossed legged on his bed, "Why shouldn't you?" He asked bluntly.

Naruto looked shocked at the very idea before a soft smile appeared on his face. The acceptance there made Sasuke bristle, "For me it won't help. People will hate me anyway, so if I channel it all to me then the kids that aren't good at handling it can live like always and," Naruto shrugged, "So can I."

Sasuke crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "Fine. Then I'm going to protect you if those are your bullshit reasons."

"Sasuke-"

"Then you get a normal life too."

"But you-"

"I'm not an idiot. No one will lay a finger on the last Uchiha. And if they do..."

He looked over and felt his own normally unexpressive lips curl into a tiny smile. Naruto was staring at him with confusion and grudging happiness all over his face.

Sasuke turned back to the desk, "We are best friends, after all."

He heard Naruto let out a strangled gasp and then tan arms were crushing him in a hug. Sasuke stiffened immediately and Naruto felt it. The black haired boy jerked away on impulse and Naruto practically leapt in the other direction. His blue eyes were filled with panic and regret, "Ah. Sorry, you just- I was just- sorry." He grabbed his back pack off the floor and then turned and bolted. Sasuke didn't move until he heard the front door slam. He touched a hand to his heart, feeling the rapid heartbeat, and then to his cheek, knowing that his pale skin was probably showing a light dusting of pink right about now. He hadn't been hugged in years. Sasuke suddenly jumped to his feet and sprinted to the door, but Naruto was long gone.

Suigetsu walked out of the bathroom and was surprised to find Sasuke at the door, "Does Naruto need a ride?"

Sasuke shook his head, "He already left."

"What? Do you know-" Suigetsu stopped himself. He promised he wouldn't tell and so he bites his tongue.

"Shut up." Sasuke hissed, turning and stomping back up the stairs. Suigetsu glanced at the maid, Anko, who was fond of Naruto, "What was that?"

She shrugged, "Blondie ran down a few minutes ago looking like there was a demon chasing him and ran right out of the house without a word."

The driver shrugged and then headed to his car. This was probably the first real fight those boys had ever been in. They tossed insults around often enough but Suigetsu would consider it banter and pet names more than actual insults.

Sasuke's eyes scanned the crowd as he searched for a familiar blond head. He almost missed him but then he heard Naruto's loud laughter from within a circle of girls.

Ino giggled, "Who would want to date you?"

Sakura flicked her pink hair over her shoulder, "You're gross Naruto. Sasuke is like a million times better."

He stopped them from coming to blows for that very reason. They were fighting over the Uchiha and Naruto couldn't stop himself from relieving the tension.

"You're like the person that if we were the last two people in the world, I'd kill myself." Karin said with a laugh.

Only Sakura caught the flicker of hurt in Naruto's blue eyes before his laughter joined hers.

"Sorry, Naruto, but it's the truth. You're weird, like bad weird." Ino reached as if to pat his shoulder and then stopped and made a face, "Nope, it might be contagious."

A sudden weight around Naruto's shoulders made him jump. The three girls gasped as the cold prince of their class stood touching Naruto with a bored expression, "We need to talk."

He dragged the stunned blond away and when Naruto tried to get him to let go Sasuke just squeezed his shoulder. He heard most of what those girls were saying and under his icy exterior he was fuming. Naruto was the nicest person he knew and Sasuke was proud to claim him as his best friend. And Naruto was far from gross, Sasuke considered him the most attractive person in their class after himself.

"What are you doing, bastard?" Naruto exclaimed when Sasuke led him to an empty hallway and released him, "Now they're going to target you!"

"Hn." Sasuke reached over and poked his friend between the eyes.

Naruto gaped at him while red in the face and then suddenly grinned, "Does this mean we're still best friends?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "We have to get to class."

This time the black haired boy was prepared for the rush of warmth Naruto's body caused in his cheeks and the frantic beating of his heart. He was ready to fight off a smile and destroy the need to giggle. Naruto squeezed him even tighter when he felt Sasuke's long fingers gently rest on his back.

Eventually they pulled back and Naruto beamed at Sasuke, his real smile that the Uchiha equated to what staring at the sun would feel like.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered.

"Bastard." Naruto replied.

They walked to class together and sat next to each other as always, but instead of glaring or insulting each other Naruto chatted and Sasuke bobbed his head every once in awhile. Their staged yelling matches ended that day and afterschool the final line was drawn. Sasuke walked confidently over to the thugs while half of their class watched, wanting to know what the hell was going on between the dead last in their class and the genius.

Sasuke grabbed the bully's arm that was pulling back to hit Naruto and glared at them all, "I have great lawyers and many family friends. If you mess with Naruto, you mess with me." He spoke the last sentence loud enough so the people loitering in the yard got the message loud and clear.

Sasuke marched Naruto to the car and they both climbed in. Suigetsu chuckled, "I knew your brother in high-school, Sasuke, and that would have made him fucking proud."

Sasuke said nothing, only his eyes widening slightly showed his surprise. Naruto reached over and squeezed his arm, "Thank you."

"Hn." Sasuke replied, but he didn't move his arm.

Sasuke found quickly that Naruto, who had been starved of gentle human contact, was a cuddle bug. When they watched movies he would rest his head on Sasuke's shoulder, when they were doing homework he would reach over and poke the raven as if to check he was real every once in awhile, if he slept over they slept in the same bed and Naruto would fall asleep with his hand clasped in Sasukes. The Uchiha hadn't realized how much he missed human contact before Naruto began his skinship brigade. He found he didn't mind it and neither did Naruto. It felt right to cuddle on the couch or to tackle each other in the summer when they were messing with the hose. They clicked.

They entered high school the next year and most people expected the stoic Uchiha and the brash Uzumaki to have split over the summer but that was not the case. Anyone who saw them bickering or shoving each other knew that they were close. The girls were pissed and the guys were annoyed that the girls didn't care about them, so obviously they all blamed Naruto.

Sasuke tried his best to act as a protector but there were just too many people trying to get to his friend. He couldn't be with the blond every second of every day and Naruto had the scars and bruises to prove it.

"Naruto! See me after class!" His english teacher ordered. It was one of the few classes Naruto didn't have with Sasuke and his peers had a field day with that. They stole his writing utensils, spat spit balls at the back of his head, tripped him when he went anywhere in the room, stole his hand outs, talked through all of his presentations and refused to speak to him during class discussions.

He waited with Mr. Umino until the rest of his classmates had gone to lunch. He knew the brown haired man didn't like him, his teachers rarely did, but Naruto liked him. He was serious about his job but you could tell that his students really mattered to him, other than Naruto of course.

"Naruto, what is this?" Iruka slid his last test across the desk. Naruto stared at the 100% written in the corner and grinned. He studied super hard for that test.

"It's my test Mr. Umino. I studied-"

"I don't like liars, Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto reached out a hand and traced the letters of his name. This was not the first time a teacher thought he was cheating because he actually had a brain. The only reason his marks tended towards the lower end was because other kids would ruin his big projects before they were due or copy them and then claim Naruto was plagiarizing. He only ever got suspended for it because the teachers had no proof.

"Mr. Umino, I studied for this test. Really hard." He peeked at the brunette but his teachers expression didn't change, "I'll even rewrite it right now if you want."

The scar across the bridge of Mr. Umino's nose tended to be what troubled kids focused on when he scolded them but Naruto's gaze remained locked on his eyes. Iruka huffed and then pulled out a blank test and handed it to Naruto who sat down at his desk and got out his pencil.

Iruka watched smugly as the boy wrote. He was glad he caught the cheater. Naruto handed their last assignment in late and the others before that were rush jobs.

When the bell rang Naruto sighed. He would have had another half an hour in class so he scribbled the last two short answer questions with two sentence responses and then handed it to Mr. Umino, "I didn't get to finish the last two questions," he forced a smile, "Thanks for letting me defend myself."

Iruka stared as the boy started rushing to his next class. His next class of students began filing in while the teacher quickly read through Narutos test. He could already see that the boy knew the material.

The next day the tests were handed back and Iruka said nothing as he started his lesson. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Naruto's face break into a brilliant smile at the sight of his original test and grade. The night before Iruka had spoken to his boyfriend about the incident and Kakashi, Narutos guidance counsellor, had mentioned the pattern most of his teachers noticed. Top marks on tests and quizzes and online assignments, terrible marks and late deductions on assignments. Iruka paid more attention to the blond and when he realized how much bullying was going on, he stepped in and stopped it. He may have been biased and blind to Naruto's true nature, but now that he wasn't, he was going to take damn good care of the boy.

Sasuke jumped when two trays were placed loudly on the table next to him and Naruto. The boy beside him had red hair and eyeliner with what looked like a real tattoo on his forehead. The boy who sat next to Naruto was in all green with the roundest bowl cut Sasuke had ever seen.

"Hello my youthful friends!" The green on greeted. Sasuke stared.

Naruto grinned, "Hey Lee. This is my best friend Sasuke, me and Lee have gym together."

Lee wiped tears from his eyes, "Your love filled friendship makes me burn with envy. This is Gaara, a youthful boy of fiery passion who transferred from Suna."

Naruto smiled at Gaara who frowned, "Naruto Uzumaki?"

The blonds smile dimmed, "Yeah, what of it?"

"My brother was worried about you. He was held at your orphanage briefly before my father brought him home. Kankuro was his name."

Naruto stiffened, "Oh."

Sasuke stepped on his foot under the table causing Naruto to look at him, "Idiot."

Naruto blinked and then smiled, "Bastard." He breathed, "You have a nice brother, Gaara. What's he up to?"

Gaara offered a one word reply and then Lee and Naruto started chatting. Sasuke and the red head eyed each other before realizing that they were both silent and uncaring so they ate their lunch while the other two spoke.

Sasuke and Naruto only grew closer over the years. They spent every holiday together, sometimes with their new friends as well. Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba joined them shortly after Gaara and Lee, and a few weeks after that Neji, Tenten, and Sai did too. Sakura, Ino, and Karin left Naruto alone for the most part but they all still chased Sasuke. They just watched the blond more carefully in high school and chose their words with tact no one thought they possessed.

For the first time in Naruto's life he had friends. As in multiple. And though he sometimes forced himself to speak softly and not fidget when they spoke to him, none of them called him gross or annoying. The bell rang and Naruto had to rush to his next class but he beamed at his lunch table before he bolted away.

Shikamaru turned to look at Sasuke, "That kid is too nice. It's troublesome."

The raven glared at the lazy boy, "Is that a problem?"

Shikamaru laid his head on his arms and sighed, "It just makes you want to root for him."

They all got up and went to their next class but a lot of them found themselves thinking of Shikamaru's words. They noticed when Naruto stopped their bullies now, they noticed how much hatred he faced every day, and they noticed that it was Sasuke who looked after him in his own silent angry way.

At the age of fifteen Naruto's friends had invited all of them over on multiple occasions. He had met the parents who had refused to let their young children play with Naruto. At the Hyuuga house he even had a stare down with the patriarch. In middle school he and Neji had come to blows about how the larger boy always made fun of Hinata. The parents had been called, for Neji at least, they had already given up on Naruto's by then, and Naruto was suspended for a week despite Neji having thrown the first punch.

Neji hadn't dared to speak as his uncle and Naruto faced off. Eventually he let the boy pass, he hadn't meant to be frightening, he really was just remembering a phone call he received from Mrs. Nara nearly a year ago after she met Naruto.

In the beginning the kids never knew what to do when their parents saw Naruto for the first time. Almost all of them frowned at the boy and they rarely allowed him out of their sight despite their children's complaints. Only when Naruto stood up to leave early as to not bother his friends did anything change.

At the first of their houses, Shikamaru's because he was too lazy to go to someone else's, Sasuke spoke up when it appeared that Naruto was going to leave because of the unwelcoming atmosphere.

"Sit down Naruto." He ordered, turning to glare at Shika's mom who was an impressive woman crossing her arms in Shikamaru's bedroom doorway, "You're not a criminal and you're not dangerous."

The blond had fiddled with his hands, "I-I know. I should go though, I have homework and stuff." He peeked at his best friend and grinned before ruffling his hair and then leaving the room.

Sasuke moved to get up but Shikamaru's loud sigh stopped him, "Troublesome." He muttered before the lazy genius got up himself and followed Naruto and his mother to the front door.

"Naruto, you forgot your jacket."

The blond jumped, grinned sheepishly, and then went to grab it while Shikamaru looked at his mother. She was one hell of a lawyer, ran a tight household, and was extremely protective of her family.

"Naruto is a friend."

Mrs. Nara stared at her son in shock, "But his parents-"

Shika drowned out whatever she said after that and waited for her to finish, "He is not his parents. They disappeared when he was two. He's just a troublesome kid."

She sighed, much like her son, "Fine. He can stay and I'll leave you alone, but if I see anything wrong with him, he's gone."

Shikamaru had shrugged and then went back to the bedroom. His expression didn't even change when he spotted Lee and Choji sitting on Naruto on his bed to stop the blond from leaving, "Stay for supper." Shika said and then reclaimed his spot on the floor around the board-game they were playing.

At dinner nerves practically oozed from Naruto. He copied his friends on etiquette and sat silently with a slightly panicked look on his face for most of the meal.

"Mr. Uzumaki." Mrs. Nara began her interrogation of the scared teen, "Where do you live?"

The blond's eyes widened. She picked a good starter.

"Ah, uh, the... bad side of The Roof." He admitted, looking down at his plate.

"Who do you live with?"

"My guardian comes by every once in awhile." Naruto didn't say that it was to see if Naruto had died yet so he can stop sending money for rent.

Mrs. Nara paused, looking at the now fidgeting boy, "Do you have any family in town?"

That got the boy to look up. He tilted his head in confusion, "I don't understand what you mean, ma'am."

"No grandparents? No cousins or aunts and uncles?"

Naruto scratched his head, "Not that I know of, ma'am."

"How would you not know?"

Both Mrs. Nara and Naruto knew the answer, but she had to hear it to believe it.

"I, uh, only know what the people from the orphanage told me. They didn't mention any other f-family." He stumbled over the unfamiliar word.

The other teenagers were silent while listening to the conversation. Most of them were learning a lot about Naruto.

"So who pays for your rent?"

Naruto looked away again, blushing, "I work. And my guardian sends money except when he for- I mean he's always on time and he pays for everything I just wanted some pocket cash."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. On the nights Naruto didn't go to his house he was working. His weekends consist solely of work and late at night Suigetsu would bring Sasuke around so they could eat dinner together.

"Where do you work?" Lee asked.

Naruto glanced at him, seeming to remember it wasn't just him and Mrs. Nara at the table, "Ichiraku ramen."

"Never heard of it." Choji stated.

"It's on his side of town." Sasuke replied so Naruto didn't have to.

Mrs. Nara frowned at the now smiling blond boy as his friends joked and teased him. She cleared her throat to get their attention. She had one more question.

"How old were you when you began living on your own? You're only fourteen."

At the time they were and Naruto looked at his hands again. Even Sasuke never asked this question, his staff and him didn't think they wanted to hear the answer.

"That doesn't matter, does it?" He used his school smile, "The meal is delicious. Is that onion sauce homemade?"

"It is. Were you so young you can't remember?"

Naruto flushed, "No. Not at all." He looked pleadingly at Sasuke who offered the tiniest shake of his head. He hadn't dealt with a mother's protective instincts in years, he had nothing to offer his panicking friend.

Naruto tugged at his collar, only allowing Mrs. Nara to note the stained and fraying cuffs before taking a large gulp of his water. He met the woman's eyes across the table, "Eight. I was eight."

Gasps were heard around the room. They stared at Naruto and not even Mrs. Nara could keep the shock off her face, "How the hell did they allow that to happen?"

"It-" Naruto stopped himself. He wanted to tell them that living alone was better than the orphanage, but he realized that they would like that even less.

Sasuke looked at his glum friend and then turned to Mrs. Nara, "If you didn't want Naruto to stay in your home for an evening, imagine a place where they had to keep him for years with no one around to step in."

"I see." Mrs. Nara murmured. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence and at the end the teens awkwardly went to the door. Naruto kept his head down and stuck close to Sasuke. He didn't want to see the eyes his friends were looking at him with.

"Naruto," He dragged his head up to face Mrs. Nara, "Thank you for staying for dinner. You are a very polite young man. Whoever taught that to you should be very proud."

Blue eyes nearly popped out of his head at the words and he flushed bright red. He blinked rapidly to keep tears out of his eyes. Never, had any adult ever told him they should be proud of him.

He looked at the woman again and flinched back when she reached towards him. It broke Mrs. Nara's heart. She drew him into a hug and slowly the tension left the blond boy until he reached up and returned the hug, "You're a very strong young man, Naruto. If you ever need somewhere to go, the Nara household will welcome you."

She released him and Naruto smiled. For the first time since he stepped into the house, it was a genuine smile, "Thank you ma'am. You have a lovely home."

They left and Mrs. Nara watched with her son as Naruto waved Sasuke off and began to walk in the opposite direction of the other kids.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled.

"Troublesome indeed." Mrs. Nara commented. She straightened her back and then marched to the phone. Shikamaru smiled at her before going to his room. His mother had a plan. She called Choji's family first, then Ino's, then the Hyuuga's, then Lee's, then TenTen's, then Kiba's, then Gaara's. They all listened to the Mrs. Nara's words and after varying degrees of arguments they all agreed to let Naruto in and treat him like any other kid if he ever appeared. She hung up the phone late into the night and crawled into bed with her husband.

"Looking out for the Uzumaki child?" Shikaku asked.

Mrs. Nara sighed softly, "I went to high school with his parents. He's the splitting image of Minato with Kushina's fire inside. He is a bright child." There was a slight pause and then Mrs. Nara whispered the words she could finally be confident in, "Whatever happened to them, it was not their choice."

"I know."

"That son of theirs, he will grow into a great man one day."

Shikaku hummed and listened as his wife fell asleep. He found it slightly amusing that his wife and his son told him the same thing about Naruto Uzumaki.

When they were sixteen Naruto and Sasuke's relationship began to change again. They were still best friends and cuddle buddies. They were each others secret keepers and protectors. But now sometimes they were also hand holders, they were forehead kissers, and romantic eye contacters.

The first time Naruto and Sasuke hugged goodbye Suigetsu handed Juugo a twenty.

A little after Sasuke's sixteenth birthday, Naruto lay awake in his bed. He had a growth spurt last summer and practically none of his clothing fit. Sasuke had taken him shopping and brought Anko along to help. She was a fashion major at the university and was more than happy to help. Naruto kicked up a fuss but Anko held him back while Sasuke paid for his clothes. In the darkness Naruto glanced at the bags taking up nearly half of his floor and then sighed. He pulled on a pair of new jeans and one of Sasuke's sweaters and then locked his door and walked across the street with the money he was going to use for clothes in his hands.

He pushed through the crowd of gyrating bodies in the tiny house and walked downstairs to the more private area. A nearly blue man stood in front of a closed door and Naruto flipped back his hood.

"I'm looking for Pein."

The bouncer said nothing.

"I have a business proposal for him. I just need two minutes."

The bouncer smiled and then disappeared through the door. A blond man, a man in an orange mask, and a man in a brown mask appeared. Naruto swallowed.

He woke up on the grass in front of his apartment with an aching body and one of his back teeth missing. He sighed and then got ready for school, Naruto thanked a God he didn't believe in for his face not bruising easily.

Sasuke was suspicious of Naruto's sudden lack of touching. The blond just winked when asked about it and then gently hugged his raven, inhaling deeply. Every day when he did this, it motivated him to continue to the party house down the street whenever he could. They never stole his money, they probably didn't realize he had any, but Naruto always returned.

"Jesus, I didn't have a kid for a reason, why the fuck should I be beating one up?" Deidera moaned.

Kisame shook his head, "Fucking idiot."

"Wait!" Three new people appeared. It had been a month since Naruto began showing up nearly every other day. He had finally reached the boss.

The carrot top stood in the middle while a red headed man clung to one of his sides and a purple haired woman clung to the other, "Why is the demon child here? Realized that us outcasts must stick together?"

Naruto shook his head, "I heard that you know a lot of people."

Yuhiko arched a pierced eyebrow, "Oh? I might. For a price of course. What people might I know?"

"Know and be able to bring back." Naruto added.

"I am not God kid. Even I don't know where your folks ended up."

Naruto growled. He'd been getting his ass kicked by full grown men for he past month, it sure as hell wasn't for his parents, "No. I meant the Land of the Root."

Yahiko's smile widened, "You're an interesting brat. So it's the Uchihas you want. That will cost a small fortune, demon. You might even have to do a few jobs for me."

"Give me a number. I want a message given to them and one brought back as well as a person. The clan over there can choose who."

Nagato, the red head, brushed his lips over Yahiko's ear, "The boy is like us."

Konan, the woman on the other side, squeezed Yahiko's arm, "He reminds me of you." She whispered in his other ear.

Yahiko squeezed his lovers closer, "Three thousand." It was a very reduced rate because both Nagato and Konan liked the kid, which was a rare occurrence with strangers.

Naruto's eyes widened and they waited for his angry out burst or bargaining. Instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He counted the money aloud and handed it to Kakuzu who appeared from behind Nagato.

"You're fifty short, brat." Kakuzu said with a cruel laugh.

Naruto bit his lip. He wouldn't be paid for another month and he already gave them the rest of the food money he had for the next two months. He looked at his brand new converse, "Shoes. If I give you my shoes, that's as good as fifty dollars."

Yahiko grinned, "You've got yourself a deal."

Naruto took off his shoes and Kukuzu took them grudgingly.

"Do you have the letter?" Konan asked softly.

Naruto nodded and took the folded paper out of his wallet. He told Sasuke to write a letter summarizing his life with a happy perspective and then Naruto wrote a message explaining the deal. Sasuke was suspicious, but Naruto just told him he wanted to keep Sasuke's happiness with him always. It wasn't a lie, he just also had a way to bring Sasuke even more happiness.

Naruto worked triple time to get back the money he used on his present for Sasuke. He figured it would be a Christmas present.

School had become less of pain for Naruto. He still got slammed into lockers and his bullies always managed to catch him every few weeks but it wasn't every day.

Naruto waved as he hopped onto the bus. There was one driver he knew that would let him ride without kicking up a fuss and Naruto used his bus whenever possible.

Iruka ran out of the school as the bus pulled away, "He left his jacket and keys."

"I can take it." Sasuke said, grabbing the orange cloth.

"Won't he need those?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and headed to his car. He told Suigetsu to take him home, Naruto worked till nine so Sasuke would drop the keys off later. He knew the idiot wouldn't have spares hidden. Not with the life he lead.

Suigetsu eyed his boss. Sasuke arched a thin eyebrow at his silence.

"Take me to Naruto's house." He repeated.

The platinum haired man swallowed, "About that, Naruto would probably prefer for you to not know where he lives."

Sasuke did not like that idea and proved it by threatening Suigetsu until they both ended up in front of Naruto's dilapidated door. The wood planks that were nailed to the door and the countless layers of offensive spray paint covering them made Sasuke burn with rage.

He refused to allow himself into the apartment without Naruto's permission so he and Suigetsu sat in the drivers personal car which he demanded they take if they were staying in Naruto's neighbourhood for a long time.

They both straightened when a familiar blond head appeared, walking alone down the street. People yelled insults and the like at him and a few of the night walkers attempted to chat him up but Naruto was so used to it, they barely even fazed him.

He patted his pockets and his bag in front of his apartment door and then swore, "Damnit!"

He looked at his own broken door with an unexplainable feeling of betrayal and then took a deep breath. His neighbours moved in when he was thirteen and he liked them. Tsunade and Jiraya were oddballs and most likely dangerous in some form, but they'd let Naruto crash on their couch before. The blond just had to steel himself for the porn constantly on the t.v. and lottery tickets everywhere. Despite their vices, Naruto was pretty sure he could trust them with his life.

"Naruto!"

The blond jerked as if shocked. This had to be a nightmare. He worked so hard so that his best friend never saw his home.

A familiar scent engulfed him as a firm chest pressed against his back and a pale, slim fingered hand, reached around him to slide his keys into the door.

"Sasuke." Naruto breathed. The door opened with a screech and the blond remained immobile.

"Are you going to invite me in, idiot?"

Naruto couldn't even respond with his usual banter as he stumbled into his dark, tiny room.

Sasuke remained with his head on Naruto's shoulder as together they surveyed the space the raven had never seen before. Homework laid on the table with stacks of food that could be cooked using boiling water. A kettle sat next to a mug and an outlet that worked every once in a blue moon. Candles lay around the room, the lights hadn't worked for years. Sasuke breathed deeply as a cool breeze drifted in through the broken window along with the sounds of the neighbourhood.

"Thanks for my keys." Naruto whispered. He turned in Sasuke's hold to wrap his own arms lightly around the raven's waist. He bit his lip nervously as Sasuke's shrewd eyes finally came to rest on his face.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Naruto shivered, "It's mine. If-"

Black eyes narrowed and his arms hardened into steel bands around Naruto's wide back, "If what?"

Naruto jutted out his chin. They both knew what he was going to say.

"If I ever left you?" Sasuke spoke the words, "If you ever needed somewhere to hide from me?"

They both leant in at the same time, their foreheads knocking painfully together as their breath mingled, "You will never leave me." Sasuke stated.

The certainty in his voice sent tingles to every part of Naruto's being, "Bastard." He murmured.

"Idiot."

Naruto's teeth flashed in the dark and then soft lips were on Sasuke's. They moved against each other carefully, savouring the newness, the closeness that the kiss brought them. They pulled back only to return again and again. Naruto's smile almost ruined it, but Sasuke just bit his lip in annoyance and a whole new area was revealed to be explored when the blond gasped.

They finally pulled back, breathless and blushing. Naruto moved and buried his face in Sasuke's shoulder, "Y-you'll stay with me, right?"

"Idiot," Sasuke kissed the top of his best friends head, "You're mine and I'm yours, just like always."

Naruto smiled against the pale skin and Sasuke could feel it in his soul. He was not a touchy feely boy, he despised being sentimental, but for Naruto, he could not stop himself.

Suigetsu had gotten worried while waiting for Sasuke to return and finally stomped into the apartment building himself. He found Naruto's mail box easily, it was the one covered in slurs, and then climbed creaking stairs to the third floor.

He knocked gently and the door screeched open, "Oi, boss, did you-"

He paused as the two boys turned red and jumped away from each other. Suigetsu eyed their rumpled clothes and swollen lips and then grinned lecherously, "Am I interrupting?"

"No."

"Yes."

They both spoke at the same time and Sasuke kept his cold mask in place as he reached over and grabbed Naruto's hand, "We are dating."

Suigetsu cackled, "Took you long enough." He turned and sauntered out of the door while Naruto shouted curses at the Uchiha for embarrassing him.

"Was I lying?" Sasuke demanded.

Cerulean eyes widened and then looked shyly at their still clasped hands, "No, but a little warning wouldn't hurt, bastard."

He suddenly smiled mischievously and then leaned in and pecked Sasuke's lips, "There. Now we're even."

Suigetsu teased Sasuke mercilessly the entire way home about his pink cheeks.

The black haired man shook hands with each of the people he had been traveling with for the past two months. They were interesting characters, but the man knew they were once good at heart in their own twisted ways.

It was midday when Itachi Uchiha walked into his old house. The staff nearly lost their minds with his sudden appearance. His travelling companions were told not to tell him who paid for his retrieval and so the prodigal son was left to figure it out himself. He contented himself to explore the mansion of his childhood. Pictures of his family lay face down but without a trace if dust in every room. He found most of the extra rooms had their furniture covered in white sheets and obviously hadn't been used for years. The young man opened an achingly familiar door and finally found a room that was lived in.

The bedroom was large, a dark wood desk, with a matching bed, dresser, and bookshelf fit fine in the room. The walls were the same dark blue they had always been and lacked any decoration. Two golden frames caught Itachi's attention next. He picked up the family picture on the night stand and then grabbed the one next to it of a blond with his arm wrapped around Sasuke's shoulder beaming at the camera while Sasuke smirked, both of them wearing santa hats. They were around thirteen or fourteen in the photo. Itachi stared at their smiling faces for a long time before putting it back and heading towards his old bedroom.

Naruto laughed as he and Sasuke entered the house, "You should have seen Gaara's face! He was like a soldier! We whooped their asses all across the gym!"

Sasuke snorted. He knew the story, he was on their team after all.

"What do you want for supper?" Naruto asked, "I have to work at seven."

Sasuke thought he managed to keep his disappointment hidden but Naruto kissed his cheek anyway, "I'll come over after." He promised.

The Uchiha refused to answer so Naruto chose for them, starting a pot of water boiling while he and Sasuke peeled potatoes.

They were teasing and throwing chopped veggies at each other when someone clearing their throat made the boys turn. Both of their jaws dropped.

"Itachi." Naruto breathed. Sasuke was frozen, a piece of carrot still held in his hand.

The black haired man in the doorway hid his own shock well at seeing his little brother. Gone were the baby cheeks and stubby limbs of a twelve year old and in his place was a handsome teenager who looked just like their mother.

"Little brother. Did you miss me?"

Sasuke's eyes were a maelstrom of emotion as he felt a warm hand gently pushing on his back. He stumbled forwards until he stood only a few inches shorter than his brother. The brother he hadn't seen in four years.

"Itachi." He greeted and then socked him in the face, "Welcome home."

Itachi brought a hand to his face while his brother awkwardly hugged him. He leaned his cheek on Sasuke's head and returned the hug. His eyes flicked to the movement behind his brother and he saw Naruto Uzumaki of all people cleaning up the mess and giving the Uchihas the semblance of privacy. The blond glanced at them, not noticing Itachi's eyes as a soft smile graced his face. The elder Uchiha smirked to himself, he had a feeling his mystery champion was closer than he thought.

Naruto finished cooking while Itachi and Sasuke caught up. The elder Uchiha handed a letter to Sasuke from his parents and then told him what was going on through the lengthy legal proceedings. Technically Itachi was a criminal but the entire clan had worked together to allow him out of the country. No one knew what had happened to Sasuke after all and their parents were too important to be able to sneak away. Itachi was used to the work and could do more from this side of the border than anyone else in the clan even with upped surveillance from the enemies spies.

"What has been going on with you, Little Brother?" Both Uchiha's glanced at Naruto who was wearing Sasuke's ipod and apron while he checked the oven.

"I... I have been fine." Sasuke stated, wondering it it was true.

"So why is the Uzumaki demon in our kitchen?"

Sasuke glared at his brother, "Naruto is my best friend, big brother."

Itachi was no fool. Even before he left, Sasuke only touched people he was very close too and rarely smiled while doing it. He glanced at the blond who was taking delicious smelling fish out of the oven and then back to his scowling brother.

"A best friend on your pay roll?" Itachi taunted.

"No." Sasuke snapped.

Naruto tugged out a head phone at the sound of Sasuke's raised voice he glanced at the smirking Itachi and then his scowling boyfriend and smiled, "The food is done." He turned to the clock, "I have to go to work." He took off the apron and hung it on the back of his chair.

"Hn."

The two boys walked to the door without another word, leaving Itachi alone in the kitchen.

Suigetsu waved from the car when Sasuke glanced through the front window. Naruto beamed at the raven, "Itachi's back!"

Sasuke allowed a tiny smile, "Idiot." He hugged Naruto quickly and pecked his lips because they couldn't be seen from the door, "I don't know how you did it, but thank you."

"What? Me? Do something? Pfft." Naruto blushed as Sasuke poked him between the eyes, "Merry Christmas." He whispered.

Sasuke grabbed his cheeks and gave him one more kiss before allowing the blond to leave and run to the car.

"Best friend, huh? Do you kiss all of your friends like that?"

Sasuke turned slowly to glare at his brother who was leaning on the archway leading to the kitchen with a smug smirk on his face that hid his shock.

"No. Only Naruto."

"Well little brother, this has been an informative night. You are happy. You are healthy. And you're in a relationship with the most hated child in the city."

Sasuke jutted out his chin, "Is there a problem, Itachi?"

The elder Uchiha regarded his little brother thoughtfully, "Let's eat. Tell me about the Uzumaki boy while we do and then I'll tell you if we have a problem or not."

They ate and Itachi listened silently as Sasuke gave him an abridged version of the last four years. Through his tale about Naruto, Itachi could really hear about how his brother had been over the years. He heard of their shared loneliness, the bond of only being themselves with each other, and the support they offered each other throughout their friendship.

Itachi surveyed his brother over his glass as his story ran to the end, "So how long have you been dating?"

Sasuke blushed, glaring at his brother. His story was mostly about their growing friendship, he avoided talk of their romantic relationship.

"A month."

"And for how long has he been sleeping in your bed for sleepovers?"

"Four years."

"I have just returned little brother. There is a conversation that should have been had years ago, but we will have to suffer through it together. Not tonight though."

Sasuke glared harder, "Suigetsu and Juugo took it upon themselves to tell me about the birds and the bees. I will never have any questions."

"And Naruto? Who tells him these things?"

"His neighbours a bit. Suigetsu filled in the rest. He could only hold my hand for an entire week after that."

Itachi arched an eyebrow, "Was this before or after you began dating?"

Sasuke glared. His silence answering the question.

Itachi reached across the table to ruffle Sasuke's hair, "I would like to thank Naruto. He has taken good care of you in our absence."

Sasuke swatted off his brother with an embarrassed huff, "Hn."

They spoke long into the night about old memories and in the morning Itachi called in so he could spend time with Sasuke around town, stopping in to speak to key people.

News travelled fast that the elder Uchiha was back in the city. Family friends contacted them, city officials called the house at all hours, and Itachi handled it all like it was a walk in the park. Despite his long absence, Sasuke regained his admiration of his brother easily and was proud that he surprised Itachi with his own intelligence and poise.

Sasuke took off practically the entire month of December and Naruto was happy to deal with the rumours and backlash from the people at school. His other friends were worried about the veiled threats being passed around the school but Naruto dodged their questions and waved off their concerns. Only Sasuke could ever get a straight answer out of the blond and with him gone, Naruto was an unreachable ball of optimism and energy, with a few secrets thrown in as well. Naruto knew better than anyone what was coming, but he put in so much work to bring Itachi home that he refused to let himself be the ruin of Sasuke and Itachi's first Christmas together in four years.

Over the month Naruto went to the Uchiha's whenever he could and he and Sasuke met up when they had time, but it was far less then it had been in many months. Sasuke was dealing with Itachi and Naruto was running from tormentors and hiding it from the world. They had their own problems to deal with.

The day before Christmas eve Sasuke stopped by Naruto's work with Itachi.

The blond beamed at the pair in the backroom while Itachi looked around in disgust at the dim room and sacks of ingredients on the shelves, "Why are we in here?" He demanded.

Sasuke glanced over, "Naruto refuses to ruin the business. No one except the owners and his friends know he works here."

Itachi sneered, "How cowardly."

The blond growled, "It's my life, ponytail."

Sasuke snorted at the nick name and he and Naruto continued discussing their plans for the next few days. Itachi left the tiny room and instead poked around the shop. He lit a cigarette in the alley next to the shop and kept his eyes peeled. This was on hell of a neighbourhood, that's for sure.

"The hunt starts at dawn tomorrow. We will get rid of the beast for good this time." Two men leaned against the wall across the street and spoke loudly due to their drunken state.

"He'll get what he deserves." They stubbed out their cigarettes and went into the bar and Itachi thought nothing of it. Had it been Sasuke, he would have never let Naruto out of his sight. His brother didn't know the danger, he didn't know how people spoke about Naruto.

"So tomorrow night you'll come sleep over?"

Naruto grinned, "No, I'll see you on Christmas. I'm spending tomorrow with Jiraya and Tsunade."

Sasuke frowned, "Okay, just make sure you come bright and early on Christmas, we won't open gifts without you."

Naruto reached up and cradled Sasuke's cheek in his hand, "I'll try my best."

Sasuke didn't understand why Naruto refused to promise but wouldn't force him to, "Okay. I should go."

He squeezed Naruto's hand before letting go and stepping back. He turned to open the door but Naruto grabbed his arm in desperation. He yanked Sasuke to his chest and then kissed him silly.

"What was that for?" Sasuke panted.

Naruto crushed him in a hug, "I love you." He whispered.

Sasuke reached up and threaded his fingers through blond spikes, "I love you too." He paused and then added, "Idiot."

"Bastard." Naruto whispered back. He pulled away and then kissed Sasuke gently, "Bye."

Sasuke took his hand and kissed his palm, "Bye."

He left and Naruto leaned his back against the store room door and sobbed into his knees as he crouched on the ground. He wanted to scream for Sasuke to come back. He wanted to tell him that he was scared. He wanted to hide in Sasuke's embrace and never leave but Sasuke had a family, he had a brother to love and take care of him. Naruto refused to endanger that.

Itachi was reading the paper at ten a.m. the next morning when Sasuke got a call.

"Hello?"

There was a long pause. Itachi put down the paper when he saw Sasuke grab the doorway and squeeze until his fingers turned white.

"If you find him, call me." His voice was so cold Itachi didn't recognize it for a moment. When Sasuke turned to his brother he was so pale Itachi feared he would pass out, and his eyes, oh his eyes were utterly petrified.

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked, rising from his seat.

"Naruto's missing. They're hunting him." Sasuke's voice shook with rage as he suddenly grabbed the vase on the table next to him and threw it across the room, the ceramic shattering as it smashed into the wall.

"Where are you going?" Itachi demanded as Sasuke tugged on his shoes and coat.

"To find him." Sasuke replied.

Itachi grabbed the keys to the car and his own coat and boots. He had never seen his brother like this, it was as though he was possessed.

As Itachi drove Sasuke was making calls. All of their friends were notified and began looking as soon as Sasuke opened his mouth. Parents left work early to help the search. Suigetsu was called. Juugo and Anko were called. Not a single person was left off of Sasuke's list. He even called Iruka, just to make sure.

Sasuke swore viciously when Itachi parked on Naruto's street. Angry mobs roamed the area. Bon fires were lit in the street. The chant of 'Blood for Blood' echoed through the entire lower town but it was not the poor folk who lead the search. The rich were the ones wielding microphones and brand new shovels. Itachi yanked hard on Sasuke's arm to stop his brother from recklessly getting out of the car to join the furious crowd. The soft sound of Christmas music underneath the angry yelling just made the scene more twisted.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Itachi spoke tersely.

He could feel a slight tremor in Sasuke's arm where he held him in place, "They're going to kill him Itachi. We have to find him. We have to."

Itachi swore again as Sasuke broke free of his hold and scrambled out of the car. Itachi chased him, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him through the angry mob to reach a familiar house. He pushed open the door without knocking and nodded to the crowd of people in the living room who did not seem surprised to see him.

"Is that your little bro, Ita? He don't look so good." Deidera commented amiably.

"The kid hasn't been back to his place since he left for work last night." Kisame said, ignoring Deidera's blathering.

Itachi nodded his thanks, "Any idea where he would go?"

Nagato tapped his chin, "They scream Blood for Blood and yet that child has never caused any of them harm."

"So he runs, how pathetic." Kukazu muttered.

"Shut up." Sasori hissed. His third cousin was a friend to the boy and he refused to allow any negative talk of him once he found out.

"The forest." Konan spoke softly, "If you wanted to kill someone, you would do it in the forest."

Yahiko stretched and then stepped towards the door, grabbing a gun as he went, "Time for some crowd control."

Sasuke was worried for a moment until the orange haired man just started screaming threats and shooting into the air until the crowd dispersed slightly to shift down the street.

Sasuke let out a mixture between a hiss and a growl and then stormed out. Itachi glanced at the gang members around him and they all just waited for him to follow his brother. They all knew that Naruto made people forget themselves.

They drove around the city for hours. They saw groups of people carrying weapons and laughing while marching down the street. There were deals on at stores for people taking part in the hunt. It was sickening.

Sasuke was practically hyperventilating when the sun started to go down. Itachi kept his calm facade, but he was nearly as worried as his brother. The chances of finding Naruto were next to null.

The call came at six. Naruto had been missing for eight hours. Itachi cursed as Sasuke jumped out of the car at the edge of the forest and started sprinting. Kiba, Chogi, Shikamaru, and Ino were the group searching the forest.

Sasuke saw the trampled snow. He saw the blood staining the ground. Clothing torn to shreds lay in red snow. Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji looked up at him as he entered the area where Kiba told him to go. They all looked scared.

Sasuke's eyes never left the blond boy laying in the snow. His face was bloodied and bruised, his eyes swollen shut and his lip split. Bruises marred his skin and glass shards were embedded deep in his hands. Naruto was naked and shivering, his chest rose and fell quickly.

"Idiot." Sasuke breathed falling to his knees next to Naruto as Ino and Sakura continued to try and do some first aid on the worst of the wounds. Sasuke gently brushed a hand over Naruto's temple. His hand shook as Sasuke touched the steel chain the villagers had wrapped around the blond, locking him to the tree in the snow where he was meant to die alone and beaten.

"Sas'?" Naruto breathed. Sasuke took his hand.

"I'm here."

A tear rolled down Naruto's swollen cheek and Sasuke brushed it away, "I'm here." He repeated.

Itachi came into the clearing and the teenagers turned to look again. The twenty one year old swallowed as he approached the scene in front of him. He thanked whichever one of his brothers friends who told them to buy bolt cutters.

Itachi didn't say a word as he knelt opposite his brother and placed the blade between Naruto's shoulder and the tree.

Sasuke carefully ran a hand through Naruto's hair as Itachi braced himself and pressed down hard. They all flinched as the chain fell free. Naruto hissed in pain as the weight dropped onto his other wounds. Chogi and Kiba carefully unwound the chain and Sasuke leant Naruto forward to wrap his coat around him.

The raven's exclamation of horror brought all eyes to the state of Naruto's back. Raised circular welts covered his back as well as a vicious burn between his shoulder blades.

Sasuke carefully placed his coat to avoid the burn and then tugged Naruto closer and stood up, shaking slightly under the weight.

"Sasuke." Naruto mumbled, his head falling bonelessly against Sasuke's chest. Shikamaru rose, his arms reaching underneath to latch onto Sasuke's limbs and support. He was smart enough to know not to just grab Naruto at random. None of the teens had ever seen someone in as bad condition as their classmate.

They laid Naruto on his side in the back seat of the car, his head in Sasuke's lap. His cried out at almost every movement so they didn't know what area was hurt the most.

Shikamaru called his mom to stop the search and hopped into the passenger seat as Itachi started the car. The rest of the kids climbed into Chogi's car and both vehicles sped to the hospital.

The doctors took one look at Naruto and started barking orders. They had a strange relationship with the Uzumaki boy. They knew him by name and gave him the best care possible but never tried to tell the authorities or help the boy other than in their professional duty. This time was different.

This was like the first time he dragged himself into the hospital when he was nine and a half. He was on the brink of death and the staff could not let it go. That time he showed up alone, told them his name was Naruto, and then passed out from blood loss. His heart stopped twice on that visit. And then they sent him away and he walked out that door just as alone as he came despite the fuss they kicked up.

Today was not so. The Uchiha's fired questions at doctors, the police were called, and the director of the hospital was notified of the ruckus.

Sasuke sat straight backed in the waiting room chair as Naruto was taken for X-rays and stitches. No one touched him. No one spoke to him. The aura emanating from the boy was so dark that no one wanted to approach.

Itachi worked the legal end, wanting cameras checked and the perpetrators brought in. He was on the phone with half of the city's highest brass moments after Naruto was brought in and from listening to his side of the conversation, he was not going to let this incident slide.

The doctors worked fast. Naruto was freezing, dehydrated, and concussed. They were worried about swelling in his brain and they also realized that one of his lungs may be punctured from a broken rib and his arm and leg looked like they had been crushed.

When someone finally approached Sasuke hours after they arrived he looked up in surprise. Naruto's busty blond neighbour who Sasuke had met on several occasions stood in front of him in a doctors coat and a serious expression, "Mr. Uchiha, Naruto is awake and asking to see you."

Sasuke stood and stiffly followed the doctor to Naruto's private room. Tsunade closed the door behind him. She shivered at the thought of what would have happened had they not found him when they did.

Sasuke walked carefully to the bed. Naruto's head was wrapped in gauze and his leg is levered along with his arm in a sling. Gauze cover his arms and his face was still puffy and swollen.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered, opening his eyes as much as possible.

Sasuke took his hand that wasn't in a sling. He kissed the tan fingers and then pressed them against his cheek, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Naruto's thumb brushed back and forth against the satin smooth cheek, "I wanted you to have a perfect Christmas. It's your first holiday with family in four years."

"Idiot." Sasuke hissed, "You're my family too."

Naruto's breath hitched, "B-but-"

"You're my family too. And you're not allowed to die. Never."

If his face wasn't in so much pain Naruto would have smiled, "I love you Sasuke."

"I love you too." The raven muttered.

Naruto was fighting to keep his eyes open, "Stay with me?"

Sasuke squeezed the hand he was holding gently, "Hn."

Naruto squeezed back and then closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost immediately.

Itachi entered the room an hour later, planning on taking Sasuke home. Tsunade met him in the doorway of Naruto's room, "We can make an exception tonight." She told him before patting his shoulder and walking away.

Itachi arched an eyebrow and then stepped into the room, immediately understanding.

Sasuke was asleep with his head on Naruto's bed while their hands remained tightly clasped. Itachi wandered over and brushed his hand through Sasuke's black hair, "You never liked the easy path, little brother, you always wanted a challenge."

He stared at the bruised face of the boy Sasuke had chosen. Itachi could not say it was the person he would have picked for his brother, but he was certain that he was the one that would make Sasuke the happiest man alive. And for that alone, Itachi would welcome him into their family with open arms, or the Uchiha equivalent of a small smirk.

In the morning Naruto woke up and groaned in pain. His face felt like someone hit him with a bowling ball and his eyes were already watering from the puffiness. He stayed as still as possible to try and not jostle any other part of his body. Sasuke awoke minutes later and blinked as Naruto darted his eyes away a minute too late. He smirked and then it shyly transformed into a small smile, "Merry Christmas, Naruto."

The blond blinked rapidly, his face pulling into the largest grin the swollen flesh could manage, "Merry Christmas, Sasuke." He squeezed his boyfriends hand, "I love you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Love you too, idiot." He rested his head on Narutos hand and placed a gentle kiss on the knuckle.

Naruto just smiled painfully wider, he would be overjoyed if he could spend every Christmas like this with Sasuke minus the hospital and injuries of course. It would take a decade of that very occurrence before Naruto finally believed in the Christmas spirit.

And a decade to the day later as he slid a ring onto Sasuke's finger in front of most of the Uchiha clan and all of their friends he would make certain that every Christmas for the rest of his life would be spent with the man of his dreams.

Sasuke took him by the cheeks and kissed him and when they pulled apart Naruto's laughter was the brightest sound in the room; he would never be alone again.


End file.
